Passengers on a WestJet plane in Calgary were exposed to de-icing fluid and smoke on Sunday morning, according to the airline.
Flight 1540 was being prepped for a trip to Houston when the incident occurred, forcing the aircraft to return to the gate at Calgary International Airport. EMS crews were called to assess those on board.
WestJet said no passengers were injured. Two crew members were said to have sought medical attention as a precaution.
鈥淓MS transported an adult female in stable, non-life-threatening condition to hospital for further assessment,鈥� Alberta Health Services Senior Media Relations Advisor for Calgary, Bruce Conway, told CTVNews.ca on Monday.
鈥淒e-icing fluid made its way into the air conditioning system, causing smoke to enter the cabin,鈥� airline spokesperson Lauren Stewart told CTVNews.ca in an email on Monday.
The airline said a 鈥渇ulsome review鈥� with WestJet鈥檚 Calgary de-icing crews is being conducted.
Stewart called the incident 鈥渦nusual.鈥� She said the airline believes the fluid entered the plane through its auxiliary power unit (APU).
鈥淲hen an aircraft is being de-iced, it needs a source of electrical power,鈥� Stewart explained. 鈥淭he APU has an inlet that must remain open when operating, and we believe de-icing fluid migrated into the inlet.鈥�
She added that de-icing crews are trained to keep fluid away from such inlets, and said the results of the review will be shared across WestJet鈥檚 network.
WestJet said the passengers were rebooked on another flight that departed about 2.5 hours later.
